Road Trip in Chile & Argentina in October 2019 • Trans-Americas Journey

We began the month of October 2019 in Chile. Then we crossed back into Argentina and drove south into Patagonia to take advantage of the milder springtime weather here in South America. We drove a total of 1,605 miles (2,583 km) during the month and our South American road trip route for October 2019 included vineyards, snow-covered Andean passes, our 73rd border crossing of the Journey (so far), a complete change of scenery, three national parks, the famous Road of the Seven Lakes, and much more in Chile and Argentina.

Part of the Pehuenche Pass border crossing from Chile back into Argentina.

October 2019 South American road-trip driving route in Argentina and Chile

We spent the first few days of October in Curicó, Chile where we visited two very different Chilean wineries: massive Miguel Torres, part of the large Spanish winemaker, and charming family-run Viña Pons Raineri. After leaving Curicó, we made the 73rd border crossing of the Journey (so far) when we crossed over the Pehuenche Pass back into Argentina.

Welcome to Patagonia! And don’t miss that kooky Pehuen tree (aka monkey puzzle tree) behind the sign. This species thrives in this part of Argentina.

From the pass, we drove along the Andes on Argentina’s famed Ruta Nacional 40. About 300 miles (480 km) south of the pass, as we approached the town of Villa Pehuenia, the stark high desert that stretches northward for more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to Argentina’s border with Bolivia, suddenly gave way to forests, lakes, and rivers reminiscent of the US Pacific Northwest. We felt like we’d entered a different country or maybe even a different world. Welcome to the Patagonian Andes!

A lovely Patagonian view along the Road of the Seven Lakes between San Martin de Los Andes and Villa la Angostura.

We continued south towards what is likely Argentina’s most famous Andean resort town: San Carlos de Bariloche. Along the way, we visited Laguna Blanca National Park, the fly-fishing mecca of Junín de Los Andes, Lanin National Park, San Martin de Los Andes, the famous Road of the Seven Lakes in Nahuel Huapi National Park, and the town of Villa La Angostura.

Upon reaching Bariloche we realized it was a little too early in the season to continue further south into Patagonia since many things don’t open until early November. So we doubled back to a friend’s place in Junín de Los Andes to wait out the remainder of October before continuing further into Patagonia.

Our complete October 2019 road trip driving route in Chile and Argentina can be seen in our map, below:

And you can see what we saw out there on the road in Chile and Argentina in October of 2019 in our dashcam drive-lapse video, below. It was, as always, shot by our Brinno camera which is attached to our dashboard at all times.